Improvement in railway-car brakes



L. STEBBINS.

Raiiway Car-Brakes. I No.135,017. I Patentedlan.21,1873.'

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

LORENZO STEBBINS, OF HINSDALE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELF AND GEORGE P. STEBBINS, OF VERNON, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-CAR BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,017, dated January 21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoRENzo STEBBINS, of

Hinsdale, in the county of Cheshire, and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improved Oar-Brake, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to brakes of the class which are applied directly to the track instead of to the wheels, in'order to prevent the sliding of the wheels upon wet or icy tracks. The subject-matter claimed is hereinafter particularly specified.

The'accompanying drawing shows so much of a car to which my improvement is adapted as is necessary to illustrate the invention claimed. I

higure 1 represents a plan view of the under side of the car; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof with portions removed; Fig. 3, an end View of the same.

A brake-lever, A, oscillates horizontally on a pivot, a, underneath the car in the usual way. A coil-spring, a, is attached to this lever to hold the brakes oh" the track, unless forcibly pressed thereon. Link-rods B B, respectively, are connected atone end with the opposite ends of the brake-lever A, and at the other with arms 0 c on horizontal rock-shafts O O mounted-in suitable bearings underneath the car and at each end thereof. Arms d d on these rock-shafts are pin-jointed to links D D, in turn pivoted to brake-shoes E E. These shoes are constructed with a rounded sole soas to turn up slightly at either end, thus avoiding catching in slight inequalities in the surface of the rails, and are corrugated longitudinally on their under surface, as shown in the drawing, to cut through ice and get a firm hold upon the track. These shoes are, by preference, made of hardened steel and with a flange overlapping the inner edge of the rail, to give increased frictional'surface as the cars swing from side to side on curves; and to prevent the wheels springing from the track when the brakes are applied. Small wheels pivoted to the side of the shoes might be substituted for the flanges. To enable the shoes to resist the strains to which they are subjected, they are strengthened by a bracingframe, consisting of cross-bars F F connectin g a pair of brace-rods F F pivoted at f to the cross-frame, thus combining strength with. free vertical movement of the parts.

The brakes may be operated by a chain and Windlass, as shown, or by any other suitable well-known means, such, for instance, as the Westinghouse brake.

My invention is especially adapted to the stoppage of trains in emergencies, where the safety of passengers may depend upon stopping quickly, and as auxiliary to other brakes for ordinary use.

The link-connections between the rock-shaft and brake-shoes form toggle-levers of great power, and by applying the brakes at each end of the car instead of between the wheels, as has heretofore usually been done, I am enabled to bring the entire weight of the car to bear upon the brake-shoes without danger of lifting the wheels from the track.

I am aware that flat transversely-corrugated brake-shoes, upon which the wheels mounted when the brakes were thrown into action, have been used, and do not claim such a device. I am also aware that brake-shoes have been used at both ends of a truck, and do not broadly claim so using them.

I claim as my invention 1. The brake-shoe, constructed as described, with a sole turned up at each end, to allow it to be applied when running either Way, longitudinal corrugations to allow it to cut into without tearing up the surface of the rail, and a flange'to bear against the inner side of the rail, as set forth.

2. The combination of the cranked rock-shaft, the toggle-links pivoted to the cranks of the rock-shaft, the flanged brake-shoes pivoted to the links, the link-rods attached to the shoes and pivoted centrally to the car, and the cross-brace connecting the link-rods, these members being constructed and operating as set forth.

3. The combination of a brake-lever, A, link-rods B B, rock-shafts, links D D, bracing-frames F F F, and shoes, substantially as set forth, whereby the brakes are simultaneously brought to bear upon the track outside of the wheels and at each end of the car.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name.

LORENZO STEBBINS.

Witnesses GEORGE E. HowE, WARREN S. BARROW. 

